“Have you ever watched a teen or young adult have their life uncontrollably taken away, not knowing what the future may hold? Have you ever looked into the eyes of a young cancer patient when they were told they have a 15-20% survivability rate up to two years?

Have you ever looked into the eyes of the parents hearing the same news?

How do you accept having a young child energized to play, or a young adult wanting to grow and explore, only to be sequestered to a small sterile room for 8-12 months and be pumped full of chemicals intended to kill cells (bad as well as some good)?

Have you ever looked in to the eyes of an angel (the nurses providing care) and wonder why some days they are extremely quiet, only to learn of the passing of another young patient in the pediatric oncology ward?

How do you accept this without shedding a tear in front of your own child?

Have you ever had to sit down with your own child to make plans for a funeral while trying to make every remaining moment of life endless?

We frequently hear about the poor decisions that teens and young adults make in their lives. The naysayers highlight the influence of peer pressure and the powerful need to fit in with one’s peers; the need to escape anxiety; the desire to satisfy curiosity or to reduce boredom. If only my child can have these opportunities again.

What do you tell your child who is educated, knows right from wrong, has experienced the ugliness of chemo/radiation/surgeries, seen first-hand the loss of cancer battles in fellow patients in their prime?

How does a parent respond when the doctors inform you there is no more treatment options available?

If given the power to make changes to allow my child to survive another day so he can experience again the normal peer pressures of life as a teen or young adult, I will stand by him, support him, seek support from family and friends, call upon my faith, and strongly support programs and causes such as CureFest for Childhood Cancer, Alex Lemonade Stand, St. Jude and many more.

The alternative of an ugly and painful disease of childhood cancer is unacceptable to any parent.”

Dr. Ladle - Thank you for your continued support and friendship.

Although a hole still lies in my heart and an empty space in my life, I'm thankful for the dedication, compassion and friendship of Dr. Brian, the staff at JH, the nurses who left their mark with our family forever, and the continue support to find a cure. Thank you.